Lower leg covering for lawn care professionals

ABSTRACT

A protective leg covering for preventing grass clippings or other lawn or garden debris from impinging directly upon a lower leg, clothing covering a lower leg, or footwear, of a human operating a power tool that tends to propel grass clippings or other yard or garden debris toward the lower legs of the user includes a fabric panel having an upper edge, a lower edge and opposite side edges; a plurality of buckles that each have a first piece and a corresponding second piece that extend from opposite side edges and which cooperate to secure the leg covering over a lower leg of the human; and wherein the fabric panel is made of a fabric having a weight of from 2 to 10 ounces per square yard.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not applicable.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates to a lower leg covering for lawn care professionals to reduce accumulation of grass clippings, dirt, and debris on skin and between footwear and socks, particularly in those activities employing gas or other powered equipment such as grass trimmers, edgers, blowers, etc.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

When lawn care employees work with machinery there is a high probability that undesirable amounts of grass clippings or debris will accumulate on skin or in footwear. Further, there is a risk of being scratched or cut from the impact of flying debris, depending on the terrain being worked upon. Under normal conditions, just wearing long pants will be sufficient to protect against unwanted accumulation of debris and impact to the lower legs. However, wearing pants has the disadvantage of reducing the worker's comfort during hot weather when short pants might otherwise be preferred.

Chaps (i.e., work garments having integrally connected leg coverings) such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,839,917 can be used to reduce accumulation of grass clippings, or other debris generated during lawn care on the skin or in footwear and also reduce cuts and abrasions. However, because chaps employ more fabric than leggings alone, and cover more skin and clothing than a lower leg covering, chaps tend to become uncomfortable and noticeably heavy.

Shin guards comprising thick padding or hard plastic coverings have been proposed for various uses, such as the impact protection during martial arts practice (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,070). These protection devices could be effective for reducing accumulation of grass clippings and other debris on the legs and in the boots of lawn care professionals, but have the disadvantage of providing more padding than is normally needed, being bulky, rigid and heavy, and lacking breathability. As a result, such devices would likely become uncomfortable during the course of a normal work day.

A lower leg covering for allegedly allowing maximum protection and comfort is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2007/0180594 A1. The device is intended primarily to provide protection against cuts and abrasions on the lower leg caused by grass clippings or other debris that is propelled towards a worker's legs by lawn and landscaping equipment. It will also reduce accumulation of grass clippings or other materials on the skin of a user's lower legs. However, this device is clipped to the hem of short pants and can be uncomfortable when walking. The design allows grass clippings and debris to easily work its way under the fabric, and this device is made of a relatively heavy, moisture absorbing and slow drying cotton/polyester blend that will become uncomfortable upon exposure to substantial amounts of moisture such as residual rain or dew, or perspiration.

BE Coleman offers a product called Shin Guard available at Shin-Guard.com which is a foam filled pad secured to the lower legs with two Velcro® straps, to be used by those operating string trimmers and heavier brush field/brush trimmers. This product is intended primarily to provide protection against cuts and abrasions on the lower leg caused by grass clippings or other debris that is propelled towards a worker's legs. It will also reduce accumulation of grass clippings or other materials on the skin of a user's lower legs. However, the product's single foam filled pad is relatively rigid and hot to wear, leaves a large portion of the calf unprotected from debris accumulation, does not connect to the user's footwear potentially allowing debris accumulation under pad into boot and sock, lacks breathability, and is slow drying.

Gaiters are worn on the lower legs of hikers for protection from cuts and abrasions usually caused by walking into brush and being scraped by rocks, and can also provide good protection from accumulation of debris on the skin and in between boots and socks. However, gaiters use a heavier fabric that totally encloses the lower leg making them relatively hot to wear. They are not designed to be readily pushed down on top of the boot when not in use, making the wearer hotter than he needs to be when the device is not needed. The device often utilizes Velcro® as a fastening device which can become inoperable when exposed to the conditions of continuous dirt and debris, and often relies on a strap going under the footwear to hold the device down over the boot and which can be worn off.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

Disclosed herein is a covering for a lower leg of a human. The covering is primarily intended to prevent or reduce accumulation of grass clipping or other debris on the skin or clothing which are propelled toward the lower leg of a human using lawn or landscaping equipment. The covering includes a fabric panel configuration to be wrapped around a user's lower leg and secured thereto using a plurality of buckles. In certain aspects of this disclosure, the fabric panel is made of a lightweight fabric.

In accordance with another aspect of the disclosure, the fabric panel can be comprised of at least two layers of fabric with a plurality of strap casings for enclosing the straps with buckles that hold the fabric to the lower leg. The leg covering can also include at least one pocket in the area between the fabric layers and the space between adjacent casing stitching that can be used to receive a hard plastic insert, padding, or other objects the user desires such as trim-line.

The fabric panel can be made of a synthetic fiber or semi-synthetic fiber to provide a good balance of strength, lightweight and low cost that cannot be achieved with most natural fibers.

The fabric panel can be made of a synthetic fiber selected from acrylic, polyester, nylon-6, nylon-6,6, aramid fibers and para-aramid fibers. A combination of fibers may also be used.

The fabric panel can be made of woven fibers to provide good durability. Alternatively, knitted fabrics can be used.

The buckles can be attached indirectly to the fabric panel with an elastic strap. In certain embodiments, the strap can be provided with a means for adjusting length, such as a standard tri-bar slide. In certain embodiments, the strap is sewed to the fabric panel.

In certain embodiments, the strap casings may contain button holes that the user can use to adjust how the fabric is wrapped around the leg.

In certain embodiments, a vertical edge strip along one side of the fabric is used to keep the fabric aligned where the edges of the fabric meet at the back of the leg.

A vertical edge strip placed along one side of the fabric panel can keep the male and female parts of the buckles in close proximity when they are unclasped, greatly facilitating putting the device on and taking it off.

The synergistic combination of a lightweight fabric with adjustable buckles, elastic straps, an edge strip, button holes and an open back for fabric adjustment, provide a device that is easy to slide down in a compacted position on top of the boot when not in use and easy to pull back up into position when needed.

The symmetrical design simplifies the production process as the right leg version of the device is the same as left leg version except for the bottom hook with reinforced fabric, which could be put on last, which makes manufacturing easier and lowers production costs.

The rough cut fabric for the fabric panel is normally 18″×18″ square in size, or a quarter of a square yard, which is ideal for manufacturing and lowers production costs. In certain embodiments other sizes can be produced.

In accordance with certain other aspects of this disclosure, the fabric panel that is configured to be wrapped around a user's lower leg and secured thereto with buckles further includes a clasp attached at the lower edge of the fabric panel to allow the lower edge of the fabric panel to be secured to a user's footwear. In certain embodiments, the clasp can be a hook. The hook can be configured to attach to a shoelace. The clasp can be located at the lower edge of the fabric panel.

In accordance with particular aspects of this disclosure, the fabric panel that is configured to be wrapped around a user's lower leg and secured with buckles includes at least three buckles. The buckles include a first buckle located at the upper edge of the fabric panel, a second buckle located at the lower edge of the fabric panel, and at least a third buckle located between the first buckle and the second buckle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a lower leg covering, as disclosed herein, as worn or used to limit or reduce accumulation of grass clippings or other debris on clothing, skin, or in shoes.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the lower leg covering shown in use.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the lower leg covering.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the lower leg covering.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower leg covering with buckle pieces threaded through loops provided along a side edge of the leg covering by a vertical edge strip.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the leg covering in the compact down position on top of footwear when not in use.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Shown in FIG. 1 is a lower leg covering 10, similar to a gaiter, that may be worn by lawn care professionals, landscapers, gardeners, or others using power tools that tend to propel grass clippings or other debris towards the lower legs of a user. Examples of such tools include lawn trimmers, lawn edgers, mowers, tillers, aerators and thatchers. Sometimes during prolonged use of such equipment, a significant amount of clippings or other debris can attach to and accumulate on a user's socks or bare legs, such as if the user is wearing shorts, or on the user's pant legs. Such accumulations can cause discomfort and staining of skin and clothing. Additionally, a substantial amount of grass clippings and other lawn or garden debris that is propelled at a user's legs can be deflected forwardly and onto and into the user's footwear.

Covering 10 is designed to prevent grass clippings or other debris propelled toward a person's lower leg from impinging directly onto skin in the region of the lower leg, or onto clothing, socks or footwear (shoes, boots, etc.), while being lightweight, cool and comfortable.

To provide lightweight protection against accumulation of lawn or garden debris on the clothing, skin or footwear during use of power tools that can tend to propel such debris toward the lower legs of a person, covering 10 is comprised of a fabric panel 12 having an upper edge 14, a lower edge 16, a right side edge 18 and an opposite left side edge 20. Fabric panel 12, as shown, has a generally rectangular shape. However, other shapes can be used. A plurality of buckles 22 having a first piece 24 that is securable to a second piece 26 are provided to secure covering 10 to a lower leg of a human. In the illustrated embodiment, four buckles 22 are provided, each comprising a first piece 24 secured at a first side 18 of panel 12 and a second piece 26 secured at an opposite second side 20 of panel 12. Various types of known buckles can be used, such as snap buckles. The illustrated buckles 22 are generally known as side release buckles. Plastic side release buckles are well suited for use with the disclosed covering 10 because of their low cost, durability, reliability and simplicity. In particular, such buckles are easily cleaned and are resistant to failure induced by lawn clipping accumulation.

In the illustrated embodiment, four buckles 22 are employed, including one at the lower edge 16, one at the upper edge 14, and two spaced apart between the upper and lower edges. More than four buckles would be generally unnecessary and could start becoming onerous during donning and removal of the covering 10. A single buckle 22 at the upper edge 14 could suffice, but at least two buckles and usually at least three buckles are employed.

Fabric panel 12 can advantageously be made of a lightweight fabric, such as a fabric having a weight of from 2 ounces per square yard to 10 ounces per square yard, or from 2 ounces per square yard to 5 ounces per square yard. The fabric desirably exhibits a combination of good strength, good drapability, and abrasion resistance, in addition to lightweight. Other preferred characteristics include ease of washing, breathability, shrink resistance, fast drying and low moisture absorption. Examples of fabrics exhibiting a good balance of these desirable characteristics include a variety of synthetic fiber fabrics, such as fabrics made of acrylic fibers, nylon-6 fibers, nylon-6,6 fibers, polyester fibers, and aramid fibers, and semi-synthetic fibers such as regenerated cellulose fiber (Rayon) or para-aramid fiber. For excellent durability, a ripstop nylon (i.e., a nylon fabric with interwoven reinforcing threads in a crosshatch pattern) can be used to make panel 12.

Fabric panel 12 can be a woven fabric, a knitted fabric, or a non-woven fabric. Woven fabrics provide an excellent combination of strength, light weight, and drapability.

Buckle pieces 24, 26 can be indirectly joined to fabric panel 12 with straps 30. A front end of strap 30 can be sewed to fabric panel 12 and a second end can be looped around a bar of buckle pieces 24, 26 and sewed to an overlapped portion of the strap or to fabric panel 12 to secure the buckle pieces to the straps. In the illustrated embodiment, a single strap 30 is sewn to fabric panel 12 and pieces 24, 26 are secured to opposite ends of the strap. Further, in the illustrated embodiment, a major portion of strap 30 is located within a sleeve created by sewing a strip 34 of fabric to panel 12. Buckle piece 24 can include an integral tri-bar slide 36 to adjust the length of strap 30 and therefore adjust the tension of the strap. A separate tri-bar slide can be used instead.

A clasp 40 can be provided at the lower edge 16 of fabric panel 12 to secure the lower end of covering 10 to a user's footwear (e.g., to a shoelace) in order to prevent the lower end of the leg covering from riding up the user's leg and ensuring that debris is prevented from falling onto the user's socks or into the user's shoes or boots. Clasp 40 can be a snap, a hook, a clip, a “Velcro®” type loop and hook fastener, etc. Clasp 40 can be located at the center of the lower edge 16 of fabric panel 12.

Leg covering 10 can be provided with a pocket 42 configured to receive padding or a hard plastic shin guard to provide added protection, such as when there is a risk that loose pebbles or gravel could be propelled at the user's lower legs.

A vertical edge strip 46 can be provided along a side edge 18 of the fabric panel 12 to keep the fabric aligned where the edges of the fabric meet at the back of the leg. Vertical edge strip 46 can also be configured to keep the first (or male) piece 24 of the buckles in close proximity to the first side edge 50 of fabric panel 12 when the buckles are unclasped. This allows the upper buckles 22 to be unclasped while leaving the lower buckle(s) clasped so that leg covering 10 can be loosened and optionally rolled down, as shown in FIG. 6, without completely removing leg covering 10. In the illustrated embodiment, edge strip 46 is sewn or otherwise attached to fabric panel 12 along portions 52 extending vertically between straps 30, and is unattached along loop portions 54 through which buckle pieces 24 can be threaded. Vertical edge strip 46 can be comprised of an elastic material.

While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrated embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited hereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings herein will recognize additional modifications and embodiments within the scope thereof. Therefore, the present invention is limited only by the claims attached herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A covering for a lower leg portion of a human, comprising: a fabric panel having an upper edge, a lower edge, and opposite side edges; a plurality of buckles that each have a first piece extending from one of the opposite side edges and a corresponding second piece extending from the other of the opposite side edges, each of the first pieces being releasably securable to the corresponding second piece; wherein the fabric panel is made of a fabric having a weight of from 2 to 10 ounces per square yard.
 2. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of a fabric having a weight of from 2 ounces per square yard to 5 ounces per square yard.
 3. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of a synthetic fiber or semi-synthetic fiber.
 4. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of fibers selected from acrylic, polyester and rayon fibers.
 5. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of nylon-6 or nylon-6,6 fibers.
 6. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of aramid fibers.
 7. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is made of para-aramid fibers.
 8. The covering of claim 1, wherein the fabric panel is woven.
 9. The covering of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second buckle pieces of each of the plurality of buckles is indirectly secured to the fabric panel by a strap joined to the fabric panel.
 10. The covering of claim 1, wherein the straps are sewed to the fabric panel.
 11. The covering of claim 1, wherein the length of the strap extending between each buckle piece and the fabric panel is adjustable.
 12. The covering of claim 1, further comprising a clasp attached at the lower edge of the fabric panel, whereby the lower edge of the fabric panel can be secured to a user's footwear.
 13. The covering of claim 12, wherein the clasp is a hook.
 14. The covering of claim 12, wherein the clasp is located at the center of the lower edge of the fabric panel.
 15. The covering of claim 1, wherein at least one pocket is provided on the fabric panel, whereby padding or a hard plastic shin guard can be inserted.
 16. The covering of claim 1, wherein the covering includes at least three buckles, including a first buckle at the upper edge of the fabric panel, a second buckle at the lower edge of the fabric panel, and a third buckle located midway between the upper and lower edges of the fabric panel.
 17. A covering for a lower leg portion of a human, comprising: a fabric panel having an upper edge, a lower edge, and opposite side edges; a plurality of buckles that each have a first piece extending from one of the opposite side edges and a corresponding second piece extending from the other of the opposite side edges, each of the first pieces being releasably securable to the corresponding second piece; and further comprising a clasp attached at the lower edge of the fabric panel, whereby the fabric panel can be secured to footwear of a user.
 18. A covering for a lower leg portion of a human, comprising: a fabric panel having an upper edge, a lower edge, and opposite side edges; a plurality of buckles that each have a first piece extending from one of the opposite side edges and a corresponding second piece extending from the other of the opposite side edges, each of the first pieces being releasably securable to the corresponding second piece; and at least one pocket provided on the fabric panel, whereby a hard plastic shin guard can be inserted. 